I have always loved and understood math. Evidently, my fondness of math led me into AP Calculus, yet I do not hold the same feelings for this class. It pains me to say that I am confused and bored beyond my mind due to this class. I dread going to this class every other day when before I always looked forward to math class. It used to be the one part of my day I actually enjoyed and looked forward to.
Now, I usually fall asleep to the sound of Mr. Novak’s voice whilst being super confused about what he is teaching. This confusing, I believe, sprouts from the fact that I am too focused on trying to stay awake that I don’t follow what is happing on the board. Sometimes, I want to give in to the sweet call of sleep, but I feel as though this is beyond rude.
There is one benefit when it comes to not paying attention in class. This marvelous benefit is that Nr. Novak has created a website where all our notes and homeworks are posted, as well as, video lessons of each section. Eventually, when I am not beyond tired I will watch these videos in the comfort of my own home and understand more than when Mr. Novak is lecturing during class.
I have tried the normal routes when it comes to being tired during school. This including drink coffee and/or tea, sleeping more the night before, and listening to music during class. While it would make sense for drinking caffeinated beverages to help the most or sleeping a little more each night, logic does not prevail. What helps the most is listening to music and it does not have to be any specific genre. I have tried this with classical, Gaelic, and rock and they all work. I feel as though using one of my headphones during class is rude, but if it helps me concentrate I believe it is worth the risk.
What do you believe would help me stay awake during class?
I understand your pain completely because I too have always loved math, but for whatever reason I can never seem to pay attention to Mr. Novak and I find myself spacing out a lot too. Something I've done is have a simple game of solitaire or other random game just so that I am doing something to keep my occupied while I listen and it has helped me to not fall asleep so I can actually listen to his lectures.
ReplyDeleteThat classroom must be cursed. I am always struggling with the same thing. No matter how much sleep I get or coffee I drink, when I sit down in his room I am instantly sleepy. The solitaire helps a lot, but it still takes attention away from notes.
ReplyDeleteMath always puts me sleep. I have never once payed attention in a math class. If the room you're in is the one he shares with Mrs. Frank, you can play, "What's that smell: Lean Cuisine Edition!" My friends in my math class have a group chat called, "Lean Cuisine Torcher Machine (Math)" were we speculate what kind of musty lean cuisine was microwaved in there today. If it's his other room then I have no idea. My calculator case fits over my phone perfectly, so you could play on your "calculator." I just wish Nazareth only made you need 3 math credits instead of 4. Either way, good luck and have fun with Advanced Calculus.
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ReplyDeleteI have no idea why, but it is so hard to stay focused the entire class without nodding off. I don't know if it's his room or the way he teaches, but I find it hard to pay attention sometimes. I find that if I drink coffee before class or go over the notes beforehand so I have a basic understanding of the topic before class, it's easier for me to resist the urge to doze off. That's what works for me, hopefully you can try and see if it works for you.
ReplyDeleteI definitely feel the same way. It's so hard for me to focus and stay awake, even when I really want to focus and understand the material. I don't know of anything that could help me stay awake; all the things that I come up with can be distracting, like doodling on your notes, playing a flash game, or listening to music.
ReplyDeleteI have classes where I am the same way. I feel terrible when I do fall asleep, but sometimes it becomes so hard not to that you can't do anything not to. One suggestion I would have is to bring something to do with your hands, maybe just one, like a fidget cube or just something to keep your brain engaged in something over than notes. That can keep your brain moving, and hopefully enable you to not fall asleep in class.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with not falling asleep in the majority of my classes. For me, it's usually the pace and the teacher's energy that affects me most. If the lesson is dragging on and going too slow, I will definitely fall asleep. Similarly, if the teacher is tired and not all that excited about the lesson, it makes me want to just take a nap during their class. It is rude to sleep during class, but you really can't help it in some of the classes. If keeping one headphone in to keep you up has been working, then I think it's worth the risk. It's better to get caught listening to music and explaining the situation to him than getting caught sleeping and having to deal with the consequences of that.
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